CES 2013: Robots that clean up your life a bit

LAS VEGAS -- Robotic vacuums are nothing new. We're all familiar with Roomba. But there are some other higher-plane jobs made just for robots: namely, washing windows. Enter Winbot.

At this year's Consumer Electronics Show, Ecovacs Robotics is showing off the latest version of its window-clinging-and-cleaning robot, Winbot 7.

Winbot uses suction cups to cling to its work surface and then it zigzags its way across the glass, washing that massive living room window or small shower door you had no reasonable expectation of ever cleaning yourself.

It sports a three-stage cleaning process, kind of like a car wash. The wet pad loosens and absorbs dirt, the squeegee slides away residual moisture and the rear pad mops off the rest.

I watched a demo of it cleaning writing from a glass surface. The device moved deliberately to slowly and effectively erase the ink.

Pricing on Winbot isn't set yet but is expected to come in from $299 to $399.

Another household helper that caught my eye came from LG. Its Hom-Bot is an app-controlled robotic vacuum that theoretically swept its way into my imagination. Price is not yet available.

This robot scans and maps the room with dual-eye cameras even in the dark and uses ultrasonic and infrared sensors to avoid potential obstacles.

Talk about smart: It recognizes more than 90 voice alerts so you can tell it what to do. Again, my kind of robot.

[For the Record 10:10 a.m. Jan. 9: An earlier version of this post said that LG's Hom-Bot Square was app-controlled. The Hom-Bot Square can be controlled by a remote. The LG Hom-Bot is app-controlled.]